Baskonia have completed the signing of Canadian wing AJ Lawson, with the 26-year-old agreeing a two-year contract that ties him to the EuroLeague club until 2028.
The move, first reported by Spanish journalist Chema de Lucas, was officially confirmed by Baskonia on 27 July, making Lawson the third new arrival of a transformative summer at the Fernando Buesa Arena. The Basque club have already brought in D.J. Stewart from Cedevita Olimpija and Chris Duarte from Unicaja as they rebuild their backcourt.
Lawson, listed at 2.00m, arrives with considerable North American pedigree after four seasons in the NBA. Undrafted following three years at the University of South Carolina, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2021 and made his NBA debut during the 2021-22 campaign. Further spells with the Dallas Mavericks followed, before he spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Raptors, taking his career total to 107 NBA appearances.
The past season saw him split time between Toronto and the G League, where he averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game across both levels, with an efficiency rating of 12.4. In 30 NBA outings for the Raptors he contributed 3.7 points per game, while his form in the G League — where he has suited up for College Park, Iowa, Texas, Long Island and Raptors 905 — earned him a place on the All-NBA G League Second Team.
Lawson began his development at South Carolina, where he played from 2018 to 2021 before turning professional, and he also brings international pedigree with Canada, having won silver at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
His arrival is part of a wider shake-up in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The club have parted ways with Gytis Radzevicius, Eugene Omoruyi, Trent Forrest and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot this summer, and will hope the Canadian's athleticism and scoring punch help Baskonia climb the Liga Endesa and EuroLeague standings once again.
Sources
- Eurohoops – Baskonia announces the signing of AJ Lawson: https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1994518/baskonia-announces-the-signing-of-aj-lawson/
- Basketball Sphere – Baskonia signs A.J. Lawson to two-year deal after strong G League season: https://basketballsphere.com/en/baskonia-aj-lawson-two-year-contract-nba-raptors/
